Respect for Beliefs

Naturally, a little argument ensued. People were complaining about how Jesus was shown here (obviously), and other people fired back that it was true, etc. you know the drill. Anyway, someone said they were getting tired of seeing "atheist shit" on the page, and asked what was wrong if you just believe in God, and you're not using it for money or power, or whatever. I told him and anyone else listening that since the religious get to post things about what they believe and how they think, then nonbelievers should have the right to express their thoughts as well. Another person came in and told me that this was not an opinion, this was simply trolling, and if he insulted my beliefs I'd get mad. I told him it really should not be a big deal.

I come back an hour or so later and a few more people have responded. The previous person posted as well. He said, "But it's really offensive saying that someone important to someone's faith is a myth. I hear atheists and agnostics talk about how Christians should be more tolerant of other people's beliefs, but when it comes to our beliefs, they're usually very intolerant. If I even mention how I believe homosexuality is a choice and how I believe it's wrong, they start cursing at me and calling me bigoted."

Now, I am quite through dealing with the people on that thread, as they will only drive me insane. But how could I explain? Christians hate on atheists and other beliefs quite often. They still ask that we respect them, but how? How can someone expect me to respect their disrespect?

Replies to This Discussion

"Because at the core of their religion they are taught to judge others. Be like this and believe that shit and grovel for forgiveness makes them self rightous and virtuou"

Well put..And because they are religious and have one foot in the promised land,they are always going to look down their noses at us. ..And because they see themselves as better than us,they get pissed when we don't see them that way as well and try and pop their fantasy bubble with our logic. Do I think they deserve respect cause they believe such gibberish? Not by a long shot.

Well, the bottom line is that not everyone does, in fact, respect religious beliefs. Some people are of the opinion that those who believe in things for which there is no evidence are idiots. Just because a lot of people believe the same thing, that does not mean that other human beings are obligated to respect that. Religious faith seems to be one of those things that people assume should be respected, and I disagree with that assumption. My usual response to those who like to post and tell me to respect their beliefs is that I can't, because I don't. I try to make it clear that this lack of respect for their religious beliefs is not because I am an atheist. It's because I am also anti-religious, and the two do not necessarily go hand-in-hand. I think it's safe to say that all anti-religious people are atheists, but not all atheists are anti-religious. The atheism only comes into play because, as an atheist, I lack belief, so there's really nothing for them to disrespect. If they'd like to disrespect my lack of faith, they can also disrespect my lack of a purple hedgehog tree while they're at it. Fair warning: trying to get them to follow this line of reasoning may cause their brains to implode.

Respect is commanded, not demanded. We of no faith have a long and uphill struggle we should think of ourselves as the vanguard, encourage our children to question religion, it's history of violence and oppression.

" Don't pray in my school and I wont think in your church" is one my daughter came out with last week, to the R.I tutor! She was given detention which we managed to over turn. Her status at school rose ten fold over night.

I'm with Lisa about 99% on this one. Being atheist means one simply does not accept a belief in a deity for which there is no evidence and, after 4000+ years of written human history, doubtful any evidence will ever surface. A-theist is the same as being an an "a-goblinist," an "a-pink unicornist," or an "a-leprechaunist." But, being an atheist is not the same as being an anti-religionist. The latter consists of antipathy toward organized theistic worship. You can be an atheist without being anti-religion. And where I disagree with Lisa is you can be anti-religion without being an atheist. Have a brother who is anti-religion, but is a deist. As for me, I happen to be both. Which means I have no respect for religion, much the same as theists have no respect for atheists, or for that matter, religions of which they are not a part of. Now, $5 will get you $10 that had the above poster had Vishnu, Mohammed, or Joseph Smith inserted in lieu of Jesus, all the Christians would have grunted and jumped up and down in agreement like a troop of baboons. Reason #384 why I'm anti-religion.

This conversation just reminded me of a Jon Stewart skit awhile ago about what constitutes a 'cult' where he had a Mormon (indicated on t-shirt) and a Christian (indicated with 'normal' on t-shirt). They sat there and debated what constituted Christianity and what could be considered 'cultish'. It was funny and enlightening to see how their intolerance for each other soon disappeared when they found another group to be intolerant about.

What I found so interesting about this behavior was a tendency for religious groups to splinter off and form 'heretic' groups...because of some behavior that is 'offensive' to the original group. How many groups have splintered from the Catholic faith, to the Protestant faith, and so on and so forth over the centuries? Not to downplay the costs in lives lost over the struggles, but I just find it such a waste of human effort and human potential to 'split hairs' over different interpretations of biblical scripture!

When people are mentally ill, including those having a delusion of the existence of a deity, they should be treated with pity and compassion, no matter how much condescension goes along. Those, who are sane, should not take away, whatever alliviates their affliction, not their psychopharmaceutical pills, their psychotherapy, their placebos. Discussing with them, if they are sane or if they have a delusion, is futile. It neither helps them, nor does it make them less of an annoyance to the sane atheists.